Method of and apparatus for raising sunken ships



D. DIA'MANTIDES. METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR RAISING SUNKEN SHIPS.

' APPLICATION FILE!) JAN. 10, 1922. 1,430,957.

Patented Oct, 3, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

glwuentoz D. DIAMANTIDES.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR RAISING SUNKEN SHIPS.

APPLICATION HLED JAN-10.1922.

Patented. Oct. 3, 192 2.

3 SHEETS I D. DIA MANTIDES.

METHOD OFAND APPARATUS FOR RAISING SUNKEN SHIPS.

- APPLlCATION FILED JAN. 10v1922:

1,330,9 7, Patented 001:. 3,1922.

f 33 WWW Patented @ct. 3, i922 1" y u ,1? a w ll n DIAMOND DIAIVIANTILDES, O33 CAHONSBURG,

METHOD OE AND APPARATUS FQR RPiIEJIhlf-l Application filed January it), 1922.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known thatl, DIAMOND DIAMAN- 'rrnns, a subject of the King of Greece, and resident of Canonsburg, in the county of lVashington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Methods of and Apparatus for Raising Sunken Ships, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for raisin sunken ships, and has for an object the provision of novel means whereby an under water boatin the nature of a submarine may be attached to a sunken ship or hull and made buoyant in order that.

it will lift the said sunken ship or hull.

In practice it is preferable to employ two or more under water crafts to be hereinafter referred to as submarines and preferably one or more such submarines should be attached to the sunken ship or hull of a ship, to be hereinafter referred to as a hull, the submarines having a novel construction which will cause them to lie closeto the sides of the hull being raised, while-the work of coupling or fastening the sub marines to the hull is being carried on.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a novel hull penetrating device adapted to be associated, in part, with the means for fastening or coupling the Sill?- marines to the hull.

It is a further object of this invention to provide submarines adapted to communicate with a master ship or pilot which will float in proximity to the hull to be lifted, in order that communication may be established between the two for the purpose of signaling and for removing water from the submarine when the submarine is to be lightened to cause it to float.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction, and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application wherein like characters denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 illustrates a sectional view of the pilot ship, hull and the submarines in operative relation to one another;

Figure 2 illustrates a top plan view of the hull and the submarines;

Sari al N Figure 3 illustrates an enlarged detailed sectional view of one of the submarines;

igure e illustrates an enlarged detailed sectional view of the hull penetrating apparatus;

Figure 5 illustrates an enlarged detailed sectional view of the coupling between the submarine and the hull; and

Figure {3 illustrates an enlarged detailed sectional view of a valve for the tool chamber of a hull penetrating apparatus.

ll hile it is to be understocld that any of the more improved methods for boring" or penetrating steel may be employed for pro ducing the holes in the hull to receive the couplings by which the submarines are connected to the hull, one example of the means for accomplishing that result is illustrate l, and it comprises a plurality of devices adapted to bore holes in the hull, the said devices being stationed on the submarines, as will presently apgiiear.

ln. carryii the invention into practice, submarine boats ar employed, each comprising; ahull 10 having a water or balla compartment '11. extending along the out side, at t till; side remote from the hull o the ship to be raised. This provision of wei ht on the outside of the submarines insures that their inner sides, or those that are in pr 'imity or contact with the hull, will be :t'orcod toward the hull by the weight of the water. l

The subma nes are furth 1' prov ded with diagonally disporiil corin 12 at the top next to the hull in order t there will he no leverage a forded between the sulnnarine and the hull at the top of the deck of the submarine.

Each. submarine is provided with suitable compartments l3, and l 5 to form. working chambers and chambers for lull t internal arrangement o may be va 'iously modi requirements, in so lo A the weight is indicated and the configuration of the submarine is observes.

The submarine has a plurality of chambered members it) suitably supported in the working chamber and each said iioe iber 16 has l7 therethrough whic trolled by a screw valve 18 working in a threaded bushing 19:, as shown in The passage 17 is intended to receive the the l n a ri no icular 1 'L' ioutiou o r maintained aqfiproxnnately as shown as a drill 20, the shank of the drill extending through the channel 17 and being provided with suitable means for its rotation or operation, according to the type of tool employed. would be possible to substitute an electric torch or other device of that kind for boring the holes in the hull, but that is a detail of construction which may be changed to suit the requirements.

li hcn a hull boring tool is to be applied to the channel, the valve is open after the tool has been inserted in the aperture 17 to prevent the inflow of water, and thereafter. the tool may be operated until the hole formed in the hull. T he boring tool can then be removed and a coupling 25 for at tachingz the submarine to the hull will be inserted in the channel and forced into the aperture of the hull so that the hull and the submarine will be coupled together. Oi"- course there will be a plurality of couplings between the submarine and they may be of large or small size, according to the weight to be lifted.

Where a very large hull is to be raised, it may be desirable to employ two or more submarines on each side of the hull, but as the construction oi? the submarines will be practically the same as that described, one skilled in the art will understand how the submarines could be brought into operative relation to the hull to acquire the results indicated.

The pilot or master boat 2] will be in communication with the submarines through the pipes or hose 523 in order that the pumps off the ship may be operated to remove water tr m the submarines when they are to float, and a cable or other conductor 24: may be employed between the ship and a submarine tor the purpose ot signaling. and of course, these devices will be supplied for each submarine that is coacting with the master ship, when desired.

The aperture 17 of the member 16 has a lining or bushing which. extends beyond the end of the said member through the metal plates of the submarine, and the boring tool and the coupling element will be oia size to tit within this lining or bushinn: to facilitate the work of the operators.

1n the operation of: the apparatus. when the water ballast being removed from the submarine. the ballast th is in the compartment 1 will not be disturbed. as its presence is desirable for creating weight at the outer edges of the submarine. in order that the sides oi the submarine next to the hull will be forced into posit-ion against the sides Oil the hull.

Furthermore. when the chambers of the submarine are to be relieved of the water ballast. a provision is preterably made for operating the pumps that *emove the water from the said compartments by power supplied by the submarine, whereas the said compartments may be filled with air pumped by the pilot vessel throughhose, as will be apparent by one skilled in the art, It is to be understood furthermore that-the boring bit or drill will be practically the diameter of the opening in the member 16, and that the connection between the said submarine and the hull which enters the aperture in the member 16 as a substitute for the drill will be substantially ot the same diameter, in order to avoid leakage and to employ connections which are strong and durable.

Preferably when the boring apparatus is being operated, it should be directed diagonally upward in order that the hole in the hull will form a better anchorage for the connecting rod when it is substituted for the drill. T he submarine might also be supplied with jacks which couldbe interposed between the side of the hull and the said submarine ;tor the purpose of forcing the same apart wnen the tastenine's are to be disconnected from the said hull, or for other purposes. As has been indicated, the pilot ship on the surface may have connections with the submarine for signaling by telephone or otherwise, and connections for pumping air, and such conductors of electricity as will be necessary to supply electric current to the apparatus oi: the submarine.

It is furthermore desirable to at times have two vessels on the surface, one the pilot ship with connections to the submarine as above indicated, the other vessel to be used to assist in bringing the submarines into operative contact with the hull.

I claim:

.1. in an apparatus for raising sunken ships, a submarine having its upper inner edge diagonally disposed with. relation to a hull to be raised, partitions in the submarine forming chambers, a ballast chamber extending longitudinally of the submarine at its outer edge. chambered elements extending through the diagonally disposed plate of the submarine, means for controlling the chambers of the elements, boring tools adapted to be applied to the said chambered elements and extending therethrough for operating on a hull, and coupling bars adapted to be substituted for the boring tools in the chambered elements for coupling the submarine to the hull.

2. A device for raising sunken vessels comprising a submarine having a weight on its side remote from the hull to be raised, the sheathing of the submarine having a diagonally disposed upper corner next to the hull, and means for connecting the hull to the submarine at the diagonally disposed portion of the said submarine.

DIAMOND DIAMANTIDES. 

